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4 vital keys to become an effective soul winner God created you to be!
1. Become a person of Intercessory Prayer.
“An Intercessor is a soul winner in action.” – Kenneth Copeland
Too many Christian people are fixed on self. What about me? I can’t make a difference! Praying for the lost changes their situation! The Bible reads… “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.” Ezekiel 22:30
• Bind the “strong man” before you enter his house – Mark 3:27
• Realize the non-believer is under the authority of the devil. – John 8:44
• Understand they have been blinded to the Gospel. – 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
• The natural man thinks the things of God are foolish. – 1 Corinthians 2:14
• Begin to intercede for the lost. Prayer brings results!
Say this out loud: “I’m going to stand in the gap! I will be in intercession for Global Evangelism! I will travail to bring forth more babies into God’s Kingdom!”
2. Identify your “world of influence” and love them.
• Begin to see people as God sees them. For God so loved… Love is our first priority!
• Love Never fails! John 3:17 says that Jesus did not come to condemn the world. So if Jesus did not condemn, we should not condemn.
• Love will last forever. God is love. God is in you. You are love. When we witness, we are patient and kind. When we witness, we are not proud or rude. When we witness, we do not demand our own way. 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love therefore perfect love casts out all fear.” Perfect love will cast out the fear. Share your faith fear free!
3. Ask God for a passion for souls!
• Power follows passion. When God sees passion he will always send His power!
• Understand it is not you that causes the salvation or the healing. Take “self” out of the way. Your attitude either attracts or repels.
• Identify the box we put ourselves in and get out! Once you identify, soul winning becomes much easier, and much more frequent.
• You must love the Lord with all your heart! It’s easy to love the lost when it’s God’s number 1 priority! It’s His passion all men be saved!
• Look beyond your natural circumstances and own abilities! With God all things are possible! You can do all things through Christ who gives you the strength (ability).
4. Set a “Soul Goal” and do it!
• We all have financial goals. Ask the Lord for a number of salvations to believe Him for!
• Break the number down into a monthly, weekly, and daily amount.
• The Lord will show you everyday who it is you are called to minister to that day. Ask the Lord to be specific on whom it is. Get ready! He will show you!
Soul winning is not a religion; it’s a lifestyle. It should not consume your life; rather, it should be the main thread that is woven in and out of every area of your life. Soul winning enhances your Christian life and embraces the philosophy for living your life to its maximum potential. Winning the lost isn’t just for the pastor or evangelist it’s for every believer! If you are determined and committed, and if you see the lost the way God sees them then God will confirm his word coming out of your mouth and we all will see multitudes coming into the kingdom of God for his glory. This means more people brought into God’s kingdom with a life altering experience, not just a number on a decision card.
Begin to see yourself winning the lost, praying for the sick, and seeing the sick recover!
God will use you to bring in a harvest of souls!
If you want more ideas about personal evangelism, email me at rstephenson@kcm.org
Riley Stephenson is the author of It’s All About The Numbers and other books on evangelism. Minister of Evangelism at KCM, he gives seminars, and conducts training programs on evangelism. To find out more, visit www.rileystephenson.com.
There are many ways to share Jesus; the best way is the one you will use. I want to share with you the approach I use. This approach produces successful results every time! Now you have to realize that it is not you that causes the salvation. It is not you that has to make something happen. Jesus told us to go and tell the Good News!
Initially, when you see someone, smile. Can you smile? Get up, look in the mirror, and smile. I’ve heard it said that a smile improves you face value. So when you see someone, smile.
The next thing I do is ask them if they live in the area. If they say yes, then I ask them if they go to church in the area. Then I ask them the following: “If you died today, where would you go?” If they say Heaven, I ask them, “Why God would let you in?” If they say they don’t know or have another answer other than Jesus is their Lord and Savior, I share with them the scriptures from my “pocket reference card.”
Romans 3:23 (New International Version)
For all have sinned. . . .
Romans 6:23 (New International Version)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 10:13 (New International Version)
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
After I have shared these scriptures with them, I extend my hand and tell them to pray this prayer aloud with me: (I do not ask them if they are ready to pray John 4:35 says they are ready.) Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus died on the Cross for me and rose again. I give You my life. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart. Amen. If they were already saved, I tell them that Paul told Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist.” They can do the same.
Ask Questions:
Do you live in the area?
Do you go to church in the area?
If you died right now, where would you go?
If God were to say, “Why should I let you in?” what would you tell Him?
The Bible Reads:
Romans 3:23 – “All have sinned.”
Romans 6:23 – “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.”
Romans 10:13 – “Whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.”
The Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus died on the Cross for me and rose again. I give You my life. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart. Amen.
You can use a tract to share the Good News with people. I wrote a tract called, “You Are Loved!” It has also produced successful results in witnessing to people. I would like to share this tract with you.
God loves you! Love never gives up! God’s love for you endures through every circumstance—no matter what you have done in the past. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:19 that God is no longer counting people’s sins against them. When God sent Jesus to die on the Cross, He paid the price for our sin.
You are forgiven! The only sin that will keep you out of Heaven is not believing in Jesus. All you have to do to know you will go to Heaven when you die is: Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved (Romans 10:9).
Pray this prayer: Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus is Your Son. You sent Him to pay the price for my sin. I believe you raised Him from the dead and He is Lord. Today, I make Him my Lord. Jesus, come into my life!
As you can see, I use different ways to share my faith. The best way is the one you will use!
To download a “Pocket Reference for Soul Winning” card or our “You Are Loved” tract go to my website www.rileystephenson.com
Increasing His Kingdom,
Riley Stephenson
 Wow! Already this year is starting out great! So far we have been to three partner churches teaching, training, and equipping congregations on Soul Winning Evangelism! One of the Pastors said, “Riley, we started our ministry by going out and winning the lost. Somehow we got away from that.” Working with churches and Pastors, I am finding out that is the case with most. One church member said, “Riley we have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and blessed the poor, but we have never prayed with them to accept Jesus. Now, we can start saving them.”
Churches must begin to get focused on souls like never before. Romans 12 says, “Fix your mind.” We need to fix our minds on souls! Evangelism should be a main thread in every area of the church. Men’s groups should be strategically organized and planned to win more men to Jesus! Women’s groups and events should be planned with the emphasis on winning more ladies to Jesus! And so on…
“Well Brother Riley, there’s more to the church than evangelism. That is just a small part of the whole picture.” We must not get to the place where we are more concerned with building our building or “coffee bar” than we are with building the Kingdom of God by winning the lost. The Lord told me early on in the birthing stage of my ministry to put Matthew 6:33 & Luke 19:10 together and read it out of The Amplified Bible.
But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of seeking and saving that which is lost) and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.
I have a few questions…
What is your personal soul goal for 2010?
We have set goals for finances, getting out of debt, and other things. It is important to set goals and I encourage you to do that but what are we doing about the lost?
Download our Pocket Reference for Soul Winning Card and get started today!
Free Audio Download! A Quickstart to a Lifestyle of Evangelism
Email me with your Soul Winning testimonies! rstephenson@kcm.org
Increasing His Kingdom,
Riley Stephenson
 When starting out, spend the majority of your time in the New Testament (primarily in the letters the Apostle Paul wrote to the early churches). In light of this, we suggest you look for and underline phrases such as “in Him,” “in whom” and “in Christ.” These phrases are found 134 times in the New Testament from Acts to Revelation. Every one of them has something to offer you personally because according to Ephesians 2:6, you are in Christ!
Make what God says the authority in your life. That means we shouldn’t just believe what God says to us in His Word, but we should also act on it. Acting on it is what produces results (Matthew 7:24-27). Part of acting on the Word includes speaking it. You will find that what you really believe in your heart is what you speak all the time—and what you speak determines what happens in your life (Mark 11:23).
Once you start speaking God’s Word about your needs, do not speak anything contrary to it. For example, if you need healing, do not let the focus of your words be about your sickness. Rather, confess what the Word says about it: “By His stripes I am healed according to Isaiah 53:4-5.”
Like a sponge, soak in as much Word as possible. Then, when you are faced with a situation that requires the wisdom of God, the life of God will flow from you—through your words—to meet any man’s need on any level. And that’s the best way to study the Word—with the intent of helping and loving others as well as yourself.
To help in your study, we recommend the following:
- Young’s Analytical Concordance—a great help in finding verses that pertain to specific situations or needs. It contains the Hebrew and Greek word translations
- Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance—a dictionary of the Hebrew, Chaldee and Greek words.
- Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words—a dictionary for scriptural words and meanings.
- Expositions of Holy Scripture by Alexander Maclaren—a 17-volume series that includes sermons and expositions from almost every book of the Bible, and the most comprehensive index of any major expositional work.
You can also use many different translations of the Bible during your study time. To start out, you may want to use the King James Version and The Amplified Bible. Brother Copeland does the majority of his studying in these two versions. He also recommends the Worrell, Goodspeed and Wuest’s Expanded Translation. All of these helps and versions of the Bible can be found in almost any local Christian bookstore.
You can use the books and tapes of other ministers; however, do not allow them to take the place of your personal study time. Take what they have learned and allow the Holy Spirit to add to it. And, of course, no matter what material you study, be sure it lines up with God’s Word.
Here are some steps to follow in studying the Word:
Apply the Word to yourself personally.
- Allow the Holy Spirit to make the Word a reality in your heart.
- Carefully ponder how the Word applies to your everyday life.
- Dwell on how the Word changes your situation.
- See yourself as God sees you.
- Realize the integrity of God’s Word.
Here is a prayer to pray with confidence as you sit down to study and meditate on His Word:
“Father, in the Name of Jesus I come before You today. I take authority over Satan and bind his operation in my life. I pray the eyes of my understanding are enlightened that I may know how rich is Your inheritance in the saints, that I may be filled with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, walking fully pleasing to You, increasing in the knowledge of God.
“Father, I pray I will be rooted and built up in Jesus, established in the faith. I am confident that He who began a good work in me will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ.
“I know You have heard my prayer, so I know I have the petitions that I asked. Thank You in Jesus’ Name.”
 As believers, most of us have probably heard over and over how important it is for us to study the Word of God. But all too often we don’t really understand why and consequently have a difficult time really getting started. So before we get into the how-tos of Bible study, let’s look at why studying the Word is vital to our Christian growth and maturity.
What a majority of Christians don’t realize is that the Word of God is alive! The Word can really affect and have a life-changing impact on your day-to-day living. God reveals Himself through His Word.
As He reveals Himself to you, you can expect your life to change because you are getting to know God Himself, not just about Him. The reason we study the Bible is that we may know God, know His ways and walk in them. Then we can truly live a successful Christian life.
The Bible is a personal message from Almighty God Himself—straight from heaven—to you. The main theme of this message is Jesus—even in the Old Testament. Jesus is the living Word, the message of God to all mankind.
Ever since the Fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, God was unwilling to leave us in our sin and live without us. So He had a plan—the plan of redemption—when He gave His Son to pay the price for our sin on the Cross and thereby bring us back into fellowship with Him. Glory to God! So look for Jesus in every book of the Bible. All scriptures either point to the Cross or look back on it.
Settle in your mind that, while the Bible is God’s inspired Word, it was also meant to be down-to-earth. Don’t just reverently give it a place of honor on a bookshelf, but treat the Word as your personal hands-on reference book on life—a how-to book for everyday living. Get rid of the negative idea that it is just a set of rules.
God’s Word is our very source of liberty. God sent His Word to set us free, not to bind us up and load us down. So read the Word with a positive attitude, approaching it as an open door to freedom, not as a list of dos and don’ts.
Knowing why studying the Bible is important will hopefully make it easier for you to make that quality decision followed by pure and simple grit-your-teeth determination. We suggest treating this period of study as an appointment that you’re required to attend. Then, every day, follow through by building your schedule around this appointment—and not the other way around. Soon, you’ll develop a desire to attend your study and it will become easier and easier. And if you miss an appointment once in a while, don’t worry, just get back in the flow.
As you get started studying, it is wise to use a Bible you feel free to write in and take notes. Start underlining scriptures that have significance and special meaning to you. This will help personalize the Word for you. Marking these scriptures will also help you find them more readily when you need them.
At your appointment, one of the best ways to “dig” into the Word is to find a subject or certain scriptures you need to understand. Pray for understanding and discernment of the scriptures. Allow the Holy Spirit, who inspired the Word of God, to reveal it to you. Read and think about each word in each scripture. You can check meanings, too, by using a concordance to study the Greek or Hebrew root words and their meanings.
An important part of your study of the Word is meditation. To meditate means to think deeply and continuously, ponder or reflect. It also means to murmur, to mutter and to converse with oneself. This takes some time. Read the scripture over and over again as you pray in the spirit. Meditation brings your spirit and your mind together and builds a capacity for your faith to be released (Romans 10:17). Ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your understanding so you can comprehend the deep things of God. Then expect the Lord to do it. Expect Him to meet you on the level of your need and reveal His Word to you.
When you receive Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, spiritual death is taken from you and you become a new creature in Christ. And without the Holy Spirit, your new birth wouldn’t be possible. But even after you become a new creation, God’s desire and plan is that you receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Your baptism in the Holy Spirit is received by faith. Jesus said in Luke 11:13, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” When you ask in faith, the Holy Spirit comes to live in you. And when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, as in the book of Acts, you speak in tongues.
Speaking in tongues is simply speaking in a language that only God understands—even you won’t understand it. This happens as the Holy Spirit prays through you about things you may not know about or may not know how to pray about (Romans 8:26).
The Holy Spirit was sent to be our Helper. So when you pray in tongues, what actually happens is that the Holy Spirit searches your heart and prays through you the perfect will of God (Romans 8:26-27). You actually utter the secret truths and hidden things which are not obvious to the understanding of your mind (I Corinthians 14:2, The Amplified Bible).
To pray in tongues, you need to realize that speaking with an unknown tongue is the voice of your heart. Speaking in a known tongue is the voice of the human mind (unless one of the vocal gifts of the nine gifts of the Spirit is in operation). The Holy Spirit of God will give you utterance, the same as your mind gives you thoughts to speak (Acts 2:4).
To speak in tongues, you must operate with the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 14:14, “For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit [by the Holy Spirit within me] prays, but my mind is unproductive…” (The Amplified Bible).
Notice that it was Paul who did the speaking. Ask the Holy Spirit to take charge of your tongue, then yield your tongue to His use. You cannot speak in your own language and tongues at the same time, just as you cannot speak with English and French at the same time. When your voice and tongue begin forming syllables around the expression that your heart desires to release, you will also speak in tongues. It will be your tongue, your breath, your vocal cords and you will be actively forming words. You will supply the sounds, but the Holy Spirit will supply the words—words unknown to you. It may seem awkward to you at first, but continue. Like a child learning to speak, you will grow.
Finally, as you seek the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, you need not wait to get a word from God about it—you already have His Word—nor do you need to wait around for the Spirit. The Spirit of God entered His ministry on the Day of Pentecost and He has been here ever since. He has never left!
Furthermore, you need not be concerned over being deceived and ending up with something that is from the devil. When you ask your heavenly Father for one of His promises—as the Baptism in the Holy Spirit—you can be confident the gift given is from God, not Satan.
Remember, Luke 11:13 says, “…how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” So if you want to receive your baptism in the Holy Spirit, ask Him now.
“Heavenly Father, I am a believer. I am Your child and You are my Father. Jesus is my Lord. I believe with all my heart that Your Word is true.
“Your Word says if I will ask, I will receive the Holy Spirit. So in the Name of Jesus Christ, my Lord, I am asking You to fill me to overflowing with Your precious Holy Spirit. Jesus, baptize me in the Holy Spirit.
“Because of Your Word, I believe that I now receive and I thank You for it. I believe the Holy Spirit is within me and, by faith, I accept it.
“Now, Holy Spirit, rise up within me as I praise God. I fully expect to speak with other tongues, as You give me the utterance.”
Now begin giving sound to the expressions in your heart. Speak and hear the Holy Spirit speaking through you.
Rejoice! You’ve just been baptized in the Holy Spirit! You’ve been endued with power—hallelujah!
 This past year the Lord gave His people fresh revelation on living in THE BLESSING and how—with faith—we can live an overcoming life in Him!
As 2009 draws to a close, catch up on the Word of the Lord in KCM meetings online. You can access every teaching from each of our conventions, victory campaigns, and even our new Copeland Family Meetings. You can watch online with streaming video, or download the messages in video or audio formats for when you’re on the go. Choose from:
- 2009 Washington, D.C. Victory Campaign – http://www.bvov.tv/kcm/ondemand/2009dcvc.php
- 2009 Copeland Family Meeting in Milwaukee – http://www.bvov.tv/kcm/ondemand/2009cfmm.php
- 2009 Southwest Believers’ Convention – http://www.bvov.tv/kcm/ondemand/2009swbc.php
- 2009 West Coast Believers’ Convention – http://www.bvov.tv/kcm/ondemand/2009wcbc.php
- 2009 Branson Victory Campaign – http://www.bvov.tv/kcm/ondemand/2009bvc.php
You’ll hear from powerful speakers including Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Marty Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Jesse Duplantis, George and Terri Pearsons, Jerry Savelle, Dr. Stephen and Kellie Swisher, and more!
So fill up your iPod and end your year right…because one word from God can change your life forever!
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
– Proverbs 4:7-8
“I’m just too busy!”
That’s the No. 1 reason believers give for failing to spend time in the Word of God. Homemakers run from one chore or errand to the next taking care of their family’s pressing needs. Business people rush out the door early every morning and fall into bed exhausted at night. It seems we spend hours thinking how to squeeze more time out of each day. Our schedules are so packed, the demands on our lives are so heavy, that it just doesn’t seem we have time to give much attention to the Word.
But the truth is, we don’t have time not to!
When you have the Word of God in abundance—you have more of it inside you than anything else! You’re so full of the Word that when trouble comes, the Word is the first thing out of your mouth.
To lay hold of that kind of abundance, you need to do what Joshua 1:8 said. You need to “meditate the Word.” To meditate means “to fix your mind.” So fix your mind on the Word of God every day. Apply it to yourself, personally. Allow the Holy Spirit to make it a reality in your heart.
Carefully ponder how the Word you’ve read applies to your life. Ask yourself, “What does this Word from God say to me? What does it mean in my life? How can it change my situation?”
Then place yourself in agreement with what God says about you in that Word. Make up your mind that you are who God says you are. You can do what God says you can do. And you can have what He says you can have. Put yourself in agreement with Him, then receive it.
I know you’re busy. There are tremendous demands made on you every day. But God promises that if you’ll keep His Word in front of you, if you’ll put it first place in your life, you’ll know how to prosper and succeed in all you do. Now, that sounds like a real timesaver to me!
BE BLESSED as you dig into the Word with this December’s daily Believer’s Voice of Victory broadcasts! Mark your calendars and set your DVRs now for:
- November 30-December 4: Many believers thank God after a victory happens…but this week, Keith Moore reveals the benefits of thanking God in advance!
- December 7-11: Keith Moore continues his series, showing how you can shut the door to darkness when you cultivate a lifestyle of thanksgiving.
- December 14-18: God wants you to enjoy a strong, long life—all of your days! Gloria Copeland searches scripture to prove God’s will concerning your health.
- December 21-25: Kenneth and Gloria Copeland celebrate the Anointed One and His Anointing and talk about how THE BLESSING is available for you and your loved ones this Christmas season.
- December 28-January 1: There’s no substitute for obedience. Kenneth and Gloria Copeland teach about how obeying the Lord leads to great blessings.
Plus, join us each Sunday during the month for special teaching from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, including messages titled Let Faith Rise Up In You, Keep THE BLESSING Alive In Your Life, The Bible—Let It Speak to You and much more!
Make the Believer’s Voice of Victory a part of your weekdays and Sundays and watch as God takes the teaching you receive, blesses it and changes your life forever!
I thank God to have people like you in my life. I give Him praise for the teachings in your monthly magazine. I have gained faith and confidence in how the Word of God works.
I would like to tell you that the first tapes I bought from you, God’s Word—Final Authority and The Word Prevails, taught me to apply the Word of God in every situation—good or bad, scary or exciting. My life has changed, my faith has increased and all my prayer requests to you have been answered. No matter what the devil says about our land, I have faith in God to keep me safe in His secret place.
- M.D. in South Africa
My daughter, Chelsey, was recently hospitalized due to spinal meningitis. When she became conscious, I told her how God healed Commander Kellie’s daughter of this same illness. I said, “God is no respecter of persons and what He has done for one, He will do for another.” We agreed in faith that she was healed. I took Kellie’s stance of “I will not fear,” and refused to let fear enter in.
The first night in the hospital we turned on the BVOV broadcast. Kenneth was preaching on fear and he prayed for the children at the end of the broadcast. Afterward, my daughter said, “Mommy, I feel like he was talking to me.”
Chelsey is now completely healed and restored!
I praise God for your ministry and for teaching the uncompromised Word of God.
- Julie Thompson in Burnt Ranch, California
God had given me a dream of receiving a godly husband and wonderful marriage with us being called together in ministry. In June 1986, I was led to pray the prayer of faith for a godly mate. Later, God specifically told me to become your Partner. I sent in a prayer request to your ministry prayer team to agree with me for a godly mate.
For 18 years I stood on Mark 11:24, refusing to be moved from it or to start dating. I fed my faith with tapes, books and videos as God prepared me.
June 2004 marked the 18th year of my faith stand, and I was resisting weariness big time, yet I knew my due season was coming into view and I would not give up. In July 2004, I received my BVOV magazine. The Spirit had me reread the entire singles article. As I sat at my kitchen table, I reread the word that Gloria said: “God has the perfect person for each of you!” Suddenly, a breakthrough, a floodgate of tears of joy and laughter came out of me! All weariness was gone.
Ten days later, I had a visitation of the Lord, telling me to get ready because my time of manifestation had come! Two days after that I was getting ready to leave after church when a man walked over and asked me for prayer. We had been sitting on opposite sides of the sanctuary for years!
Eight months later, on our wedding day, April 2, 2005, Anthony and I are standing in our dream! Glory to God.
- Carol Cardinale in New York
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